3rd child dies after St. Johns boating accident

An experienced boater, the Umatilla man and his family spent frequent weekends on the water, often with friends.

But their outing Sunday turned tragic when a sudden storm dumped waves of up to 4 feet over the bow, and the 20-foot motor boat capsized.

On Monday, the family suffered another tragedy when a family friend, 5-year-old Cole Bizuk of Fernandina Beach, was taken off life support and died at Florida Hospital Orlando, his uncle James Bizuk said. Bizuk had said earlier that Cole hit his head during the accident Sunday. Cole's 7-year-old sister Cayla, who was aboard but unhurt, told her family that Cole "went to sleep."

Also killed Sunday were Lennon's 4-year-old son, Dennis Clayton "Clay" Lennon, and Ciara Puskas, 14, of Umatilla, the daughter of friends of the Lennons. The presumed cause was drowning, said Lenny Salberg, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Relatives said Cole's mother and other longtime friends were on a second boat accompanying Lennon and his wife, Ann "Lou" Lennon, 36. Ann Lennon was treated and released from Putnam Community Medical Center in Palatka.

Two others on the boat also were uninjured: Ciara's sister, Morgantina Garofono, 11, of Eustis; and Dennis Lennon, 37.

Dennis Lennon pulled up the anchor and tried to get to the shore of the lake, on the Lake-Marion county border, because of the thunderstorm. He turned to avoid another boat that also was leaving when two waves came crashing down, investigators said.

"It came up pretty quickly," said Joy Hill of the Fish and Wildlife Commission. "It was pretty ferocious."

Everyone except Dennis Lennon was in the cabin for safety, she said. All the children except Ciara wore life jackets, but they were trapped underwater when the boat overturned about 4:30 p.m. U.S. Coast Guard officials and other boaters righted the boat, Hill said, but it was too late to save everyone.

The families are devastated.

"He [Lennon] was a great dad, and it was all about the family all the time," said Teri Millo, a relative who baby-sat for Clay for the first nine months of his life. "And they did everything together. He's a great person, and so is she."

Dennis Lennon, a Eustis native who works as an electrician, has another son, Trey, 13, who skipped the outing to visit his mother, Millo said.

Josephine Garofono, Morgantina's grandmother, said she and her husband went to see Morgantina on Monday morning, but they didn't press her to recount details. Her parents plan to take her to the doctor today to have her checked out physically and emotionally.

The accident was one of several that happened Sunday when the fast-moving storm churned up the shallow, normally still waters. An airboat capsized, dumping eight passengers into the lake, but they survived.

Lake George is the largest lake on the St. Johns River and is a popular boating destination on holidays. People anchor, sun and swim there.